03 18 · communication and public relations, introduces the agenda for the inaugural adventist...

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I N S P I R AT I ON & I N F OR M AT I ON F O R N O R T H A M E R I C A

INSIDE

402-488-0981 l 5900 S 58th St, Suite M l Lincoln, NE 68516

Christian reCordSERVICES FOR THE BLIND

Going Through Life with God

Annual Day of Giving Sabbath, April 14, 2018

www.CRSBday.org

Watch Maddox’s story to learn why he’d rather be

ADVENTIST 0303 / 18

Contents

Adventist Journey

My JourneyAs my Christian journey has gone on, and as my faith and commitment to the Lord has grown stronger, I look for God’s leading more and more. It’s a continual growth process. Writing to prisoners, sponsoring addicts in recovery, mission trips . . . I don’t examine what I do or why I do it. That can lead to lack of humility. I’m not going to analyze it; I’m just going to do it. Visit https://vimeo.com/249599551 for more of Ed’s journey.

EDWARD JACKSONretired rail worker, U.S. Army contractor, and church member from Beltsville, Maryland

Feature Connect, Share, Encourage

04 Perspective Fount of Every Blessing

14

NAD News Briefs

10

Adventist Journey (ISSN 1557-5519) is the journal of the North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The Northern-Asia Pacific Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adven-tists is the publisher. It is printed monthly by the Pacific Press® Publishing Association. Copyright © 2018. Send address changes to your local conference membership clerk. Contact information should be available through your local church.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. Vol. 1, No. 3. March 2018. Adventist Journey Publication Board Daniel R. Jackson (chair), G. Alexander Bryant (vice chair), Kimberly Luste Maran (secretary), G. Thomas Evans, Tony Anobile, Larry Blackmer, Paul Brantley, Debra Brill, Alvin M. Kibble, Gordon Pifher, Kenneth Denslow, Daniel Weber, Julio Muñoz, Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor Scripture References Unless otherwise noted, all Bible references are taken from the The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Email: [email protected] | Website: nadadventist.org

Dear Reader: The publication in your hands represents the collaborative efforts of the North American Division and Adventist World magazine, which is inserted halfway through Adventist Journey (after page 8). Please enjoy both magazines!

ADVENTIST JOURNEY

Editor Kimberly Luste Maran

Senior Editorial Assistant Georgia Standish

Art Direction & Design Types & Symbols

Consultants G. Earl Knight, Mark Johnson, Dave Weigley, Maurice Valentine, Gary Thurber, John Freedman, Ricardo Graham, Ron C. Smith, Larry Moore

Executive Editor, Adventist World Bill Knott

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by D

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402-488-0981 l 5900 S 58th St, Suite M l Lincoln, NE 68516

Christian reCordSERVICES FOR THE BLIND

Going Through Life with God

Annual Day of Giving Sabbath, April 14, 2018

www.CRSBday.org

Watch Maddox’s story to learn why he’d rather be

ADVENTIST www.nadadvent is t .org04

F E A T U R E

Connect,

Encourage

Adventist women in leadership meet to pray, reflect, and praise God.

BY KIMBERLY LUSTE MARAN

Photos by Pieter Damsteegt, NAD Office of Communication

Last fall, during the North American Division (NAD) 2017 year-end meeting, a group of history-mak-

ing church leaders gathered in a conference room for a lunchtime meet and greet. A conference president, three college/university presidents, several ministry lead-ers, and a few church officers—all women—gathered to reflect, share, pray, and praise God. Of the 14 women assembled, all of whom have made significant contribu-tions in each of their fields of service, nine are the first women to serve in their positions.

The inaugural meeting of Adventist Women in Leadership (AWL) featured a luncheon and agenda established by hosts Deb-ra Brill, vice president for NAD ministries; Ann Roda, vice pres-ident, mission integration and spiritual care, Adventist Health-Care; and Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Conference vice president for strategic communi-cation and public relations.

As part of the program, Blyden asked each leader to share what they’d tell their younger selves. Poi-

gnant and practical advice followed. Below are a few snippets of the conversation the women started and hope to continue during the next few years through coordinated prayer sessions, seminars and networking events, mentoring opportunities, and a social media group to facilitate wid-er engagement with other women in church leadership roles.

Celeste Ryan Blyden, Columbia Union Conference vice president for strategic communication and public relations, introduces the agenda for the inaugural Adventist Women in Leadership meeting.

We need to be soft-hearted and hard-headed. Grounded in our principle, but soft and loving as Jesus was.

Share,

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Photos by Pieter Damsteegt, NAD Office of Communication

Women in leadership gather for lunch, prayer, and encouragement during the 2017 North American Division Year-End Meeting. Pictured left to right (back row): Sandra Roberts, Carmela Monk Crawford, Diane Thurber, Elaine Oliver, Twyla Wall, Celeste Ryan Blyden, Debra Brill, Vinita Sauder, Sabrina Cotton, and Avia Hendrickson; (front row) Andrea Luxton, Ann Roda, Teresa Ferreira, and Lara Melashenko.

Sandra Roberts, conference president, Southeastern Cali-fornia Conference

My path to ministry was a zigzag. Administration was never one of those things I was going to do. In fact, I’ve often said that, as that quint-essential young professional, I was never going to be one of those people who worked at the conference office and wore a suit every day.

God has times of convergence in our lives, when He brings togeth-er the experiences we’ve had. Whether we’re men or women, God has heart-shaping work that He does for us throughout our lives. If I could go back, and could have trusted more fully that God knew

what He was doing with the path He was leading me on, I probably would have been a lot more at peace with the twists and turns.

Whether you’re male or female, leadership is tough work. Some-times I have a hard time separating what are simply difficult leader-ship challenges and what results because of gender. I deeply value conversations like the one today because I can get stuck in my own world trying to figure this out. Be-ing able to talk, pray, and gain other perspectives through conversations on retreats together, or just in small groups, is really helpful. I long for us to do more connecting, more sharing, and more encouraging in

the midst of the demands leader-ship brings in our lives.

Elaine Oliver, associate direc-tor, Family Ministries, General Conference

Everything is in God’s hands, so I would say to my younger self to just trust God and understand that He has a plan for our lives. We never know on what journey He’s going to take us.

We need to be still. One text that has become sort of my mantra in the past few years is Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.” There are so many demands on us sometimes: marriage, children, work. But the most critical thing in

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our lives is our relationship with God. If we don’t take time to listen to Him, then we won’t recognize His voice. We won’t know where He’s taking us. So breathe, smile, breathe some more; it’s going to be OK. It’s not as stressful as we think it is.

Twyla Wall, director, Adventist Information Ministry

I would admonish myself to continually put before me the concept of salvation as a free gift. It comes to us by faith, not by works. We work hard. We work steadfastly and we sometimes get that back-ward. I tell myself: Always, always, always cling to that fundamental, foundational gift, that is free salva-tion, and wrap myself in God’s robe [of righteousness] all the time.

Diane Thurber, president, Christian Record Services, Inc.

I always wanted to be a mission-ary. I’m not a missionary overseas, but I certainly am a missionary for those who are blind. God fulfilled that dream.

I would say to my younger self: Have those dreams and talk to God about them, because He will fulfill those dreams. My advice is to trust that God will give us the desires of our hearts. I would also say to filter some of those voices that wanted to keep you from trying new things, from doing things you thought you were capable of; those voices that wanted to put you in a box and lim-it what God wanted to do for you.

You can take that first step, and God takes you the rest of the way. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways ac-knowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5, 6).

Andrea Luxton, president, Andrews University

As a child, I never had a sense that there was something I couldn’t do or that wasn’t open to me. That’s a great gift my parents gave me.

But a faculty member at Newbold once said to me, “You really like being able to box everything up and put a bow on top, don’t you?”

I’d tell my younger self to un-derstand that you don’t have to control your own life by putting parameters on it, boxing it in. That willingness to be vulnerable to a possibility that God may have for you is really the only way to do it. That’s something I’ve learned over my life. Maybe if I’d learned that as a kid, God would have found it easi-er to open doors for me.

Sabrina Cotton, vice president for finance, Oakwood University

I never understood this when I was younger, but once you travel the path, you understand, you reach your destination, you can look back and see the “why”—how

all of the twists and turns were to give you an expected end.

We should listen to both positive and negative voices, and use the nega-tive voices to go forward. I remember once a vice president said, “I would promote you, but I don’t want a wom-an as my assistant vice president.”

But eventually, with God’s help, I proved him wrong, and that same vice president promoted me to assistant vice president. So it’s listening to those voices, and the ones that told me God knows the plan for my life. And having posi-tive, God-fearing parents: I’d tell my younger self to listen to them more.

Vinita Sauder, president, Union College

I would tell my younger self that God is my partner in my work. He takes our small part, the little piece we can provide as human leaders, and He magnifies it. He magnifies our work every day. Partnership with God is what makes us able to lead.

I was recently reminded of this by my husband. . . . During a difficult

Ann Roda, vice president, mission integration and spiritual care for Adventist Healthcare based in Maryland, listens to leaders give advice to their “younger selves.”

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THIS MAGAZINE CONTINUED AFTER

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time when a student was seriously injured at Union, my husband gave me a card that read “Remember that God put you here.” I have that card in my desk to this day, right in the top drawer, so I can remind myself, when the going gets tough, that I don’t have to lift the weight all by myself; that this is God’s educational ministry; and that He walks beside me.

In another job, before I became Union’s president, I experienced a distinct turning point when I realized that I needed to depend on God for true wisdom and discernment. It was back before smartphones, when you had to look up a Bible verse in a physical Bible. One of our project teams needed to look up a verse to include in a publication, and for some reason we couldn’t find a Bible in any of the offices that reported to me. This lack surprised us and became a tipping point. I went and purchased Bibles for our offices and put one right in the middle of my desk as a permanent reminder that this was our leader-ship north. This same Bible sits on my desk at Union College 12 years later, a symbol of my commitment to Christian leadership through the grace and goodness of God.

Teresa Ferreira, executive secretary, education superintendent, camp, and women’s ministries director, Maritime Conference

I’d say three things to my younger self. First, God loves surprises. He is a God of surprises. He must look at driven women who have their lives mapped out, chuckle, and say, “I am God. I have a plan for you.”

Second, when my husband and I first found each other, we were in our mid-30s, OK with being single, and both of us had come to the point where we wanted to be in ministry for

ADVENTIST WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

During the luncheon for Adventist women lead-ers attending the NAD year-end meeting, Ce-leste Ryan Blyden shared the AWL message: “To-

day we see you. We celebrate your accomplishments. We rejoice in what God is doing in you and through you. We are here for you, and we’re praying for you.”

The goals of AWL, as established by Blyden and plan-ning partners Debra Brill and Ann Roda, are: (1) to con-nect and engage women in leadership positions in the Seventh-day Adventist Church; (2) to acknowledge and celebrate our God-given gifts, calling, and contributions to ministry; (3) to nurture, support, train, and prepare women for leadership; and (4) to mentor new leaders, younger women leaders, and student leaders.

Leadership categories include administrators (elected officer or vice president); departmental directors and associate directors; ministry or educational leaders (elected or appointed); and student leaders (elected Student Association presidents at Adventist academies, colleges, and universities). “We must encourage and mentor young women to become leaders. They can do it, and we are in positions to be advocates so their voices are heard,” said Brill.

“I know God loves me and I ’m going to be all right.”

God. Then we met, and within the first month he talked about marriage. We just knew. I remember the first time I was going to preach, he sent me this text message: “Go be great for God.” That would be the second message I would send to my younger self: “Go be great for God.”

The last message I would send to my younger self is built on Bible verses John 17:3 and Psalm 16:8. . . . We live in a world of compromise. I tell people at work that we are often perceived as being all hardhearted and softheaded. We need to be softhearted and hardheaded. Grounded in our principle, but soft and loving, as Jesus was.

Lara Melashenko, principal, Chinook Winds Adventist Academy, Calgary

I’d say two things to my younger self: Surrender, and trust in our Maker. I continually feel these questions in my heart: “What’s next? What do You want me to do? Why am I here?” That surren-der piece has been the resound-ing theme in my life.

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Pieter Damsteegt CONTINUED

Carmela Monk Crawford, editor, Message magazine; attorneyMy current Bible passage, Psalm 94, tells me that everything I need,

He will give me. Just wait for Him. That’s what I would tell my young-er self: “Wait. Wait for it.” That’s been the theme of my life. Wait. Wait.

I’m one of those people who has long prayers. Praying and wait-ing. I got married at 33; had my last kid at 40. You hear what I’m saying? Praise God, He’s working on it. God answers prayer. God has a plan; just wait for it.

Avis Hendrickson, president, Atlantic Union CollegeMy Bible verse to my younger self would be Romans 8:23. I see

how many of the life experiences I’ve had I use now. I grew up being “seen, not heard,” so I developed an ability to observe and learn.

I’ve also learned that B-I-B-L-E was an acronym for “basic instruction before leaving earth.” I use Scripture to help and guide me. God has prepared me, as He did Esther, for such a time as this.

People ask how I’m doing, and I say, “Well, I’m fine as long as I’m praying. I have to keep praying.”

I’ve learned to do that, trust in God, and use Scripture to center myself. Whatever happens, I know that God loves me and that I’m going to be all right.

Debra Brill, vice president, North American DivisionRosa Banks and I were the only women in the NAD officer

group for many years. Our voices were small.But I recall a meeting during which we were talking about nom-

inating committee. I went to the microphone and said something like “You know you have opportunity in your nominating com-mittees. Who are the women you know who you can put forth as qualified people to serve? Will you please return to your territories and think of those women who you know are qualified to serve, and champion their names to the nominating committee?”

What I said was the right thing to say at the right place. It was not affirmed by anyone at the time, but it was the right thing to do. I would say to my younger self: be bolder. I encourage women to speak with boldness and confidence.

Ann Roda, vice president, mission in-tegration and spiritual care, Adventist Healthcare

In the past 20 years I have never applied for a job, never. Everything came to me. So I would say a couple things to my younger self.

When Moses was getting ready to cross the Red Sea with all those people, God said, in effect, “Stand still, and watch Me do what I do best.” So that’s what I would say. It takes a lot of courage and boldness to stand still, because we women are doers, and, I’m sure you can relate to this; I do “doing” very well. Most women leaders are like that. Sometimes we just have to stand still, which one of the greatest skills and gifts of leadership.

Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president, strategic communications and public relations, Columbia Union Conference

I didn’t ask for this job; I’ve never asked for a job in this church. The only job I ever asked for was when I came out of college and asked, “Could I start a magazine for my generation, Generation X, young adults?” It was as a volunteer, and Ted Wick, then NAD youth director, gave me the opportunity. I started Adventist View, a magazine for young adults. Here I am, 25 years later, and God would have it that I’d be the first female vice president, an officer in my union.

I am thankful for the opportunity. My hus-band says something to me that my mother used to say in a different way. My mother used to say, “Baby, your turn will come.” My husband says, “All things in time, my dear. All things in time.”

That’s what I would say to my younger self: “Relax. God’s got you.”

Compiled by Kimberly Luste Maran, NAD Office of Communication

Left to right: Debra Brill, NAD vice president for ministries; Avia Hendrickson, Atlantic Union College president; and Vinita Sauder, Union College president, enjoy lunch dialogue during the first Adventist Women in Leadership meeting.

God magnifies our work every day. Partnership with Him is what makes us able to lead.

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A patient engages with a volunteer at the lab station where blood tests are administered.Miguel Manzo

MILITARY CHAPLAINS HONORED AT MEMORIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY

Dick Stenbakken’s 47-year-old dream of

placing a memorial to honor chaplains from the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines, past and present, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, became a reality on December 13, 2017, in Honolu-lu, Hawaii.

On a sunny Hawaiian day, Chaplain (Colonel) Richard “Dick” Stenbakken, United States Army (retired), saw the conclusion of two years of phone calls and piles of paper-work, making this memorial a reality.

“Getting the stone through customs, through the Cali-fornia fires, to Hawaii, and having it done in time for the ceremony was nothing short of a series of miracles,” says Stenbakken. “After nearly 100 phone calls, and tons of coordination—and by the grace of God and answered prayer—it happened.”

—Rajmund Dabrowski, Rocky Mountain Conference. Visit ow.ly/FlO930hACY2 to read more.

At the Your Best Pathway to Health (YBPTH) event

in Phoenix, Arizona, from De-cember 25-27, 2017, more than 3,300 volunteers, including health professionals, spent their Christ-mas holiday serving 6,770 resi-dents of the greater Phoenix area. Services included medical, dental, vision, physical therapy, lifestyle education, financial, legal, child care, haircuts, even surgical spe-cialties. The total value of medical procedures performed and services offered was $40,608,800.

Pathway to Health opened its doors at 7:00 Christmas morning. Dental and vision care represent-ed the greatest need. The dental department was comprised of

250 dentists, hygienists, and their assistants at 168 stations. Services included extractions, root canals and fillings, treating abscesses, cleanings, and more. Vision had a team of five optometrists, one assistant, and three ophthalmolo-gists. On Christmas day alone, the team saw 271 patients.

“We love the idea of demonstrat-ing God’s gift of life through Jesus Christ,” said Lela Lewis, co-founder and CEO of YBPTH. “This is an awesome opportunity to provide physical, mental, and spiritual health. All volunteers play a role in sharing this love.”

— Kristyn Dolinsky and Pathway to Health Communication; visit http://ow.ly/WYAk30hG19l to read more.

MORE THAN 6,700 PATIENTS RECEIVED FREE MEDICAL CARE

N A D N E W S B R I E F S


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NURSING PROFESSORS AMONG FIRST IN THE WORLD TO EARN CERTIFICATION IN LIFESTYLE MEDICINE

Two Southern Adventist Uni-versity (Collegedale, Tennessee)

nursing professors were part of the first group of medical professionals in the world to earn board certifica-tion in the field of lifestyle medicine. The group includes 247 physicians and health clinicians who are now certified as “Diplomates of the American Board of Lifestyle Med-icine (ABLM)/American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and the International Board of Lifestyle Medicine.”

Lilly Tryon, D.N.P., and Cindy Rima, M.S.N., both associate profes-sors of nursing at the university, sat for the exam on October 26, 2017, in Tucson, Arizona.

—Janell Hullquist, Southern Adventist University. Visit ow.ly/RX-0330hAwEN to read more.


iStock/Dimitris66

STUDENT WINS NATIONAL “RINSE, RECYCLE, REPEAT” RECYCLING CONTEST

Biology major Victoria Nich-ols led Union College (Lin-

coln, Nebraska) in a nationwide recycling competition sponsored by Garnier. She entered the contest and was chosen to involve her community and her school in the collection of empty personal care and beauty items.

“I wanted to encourage my classmates to reduce their foot-print on the earth,” she said.

Nichols worked to collect as many empty personal care and

beauty containers as she could during April 2017, the first month of the program. Nichols then had to break them down, box them up, and ship them to New Jersey.

“Tori was the winner by far, with more than 7,000 empties,” said the representative from Ter-raCycle who spoke at a ceremony in November 2017, honoring Nichols and Union College for their achievement.

—Maren Miller, Union College. Visit ow.ly/QyMM30hACLN to read more.

APRIL’S SONSCREEN TO BE HELD AT NAD HEADQUARTERS

Sonscreen 2018 will take place on April 5-7, 2018, at the new

North American Division head-quarters in Columbia, Maryland. In addition to film screenings through-out the festival, panel discussions/workshops and networking oppor-tunities are also scheduled.

The Sonscreen Film Festival, which debuted in 2002, is an annual gathering for Christian young adults who have a passion for using film and video for the purpose of creating timely and

relevant productions for social awareness, outreach, and uplift-ing creative entertainment.

“Sonscreen alumni are welcome to attend as guests of the festival. This is meant to keep our commu-nity of filmmakers growing,” said Julio C. Muñoz, Sonscreen director, “but increased student participa-tion is our priority! We are looking forward to an inspiring time with all our visual storytellers.”

—Visit www.sonscreen.com for more information.


Victoria Nichols (in red on right/back) celebrates Union’s first place finish in the Rinse, Recycle, Repeat competition. Photo provided by Union College


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Celebrating

Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program

Urban Mission and Ministry Congress

The Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program* (NLCP) is an intensive program that equips attendees with STRATEGIES AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO SUCCESSFULLY LEAD.

Attendees will learn how to be engaged with critical service learning to create a sustainable impact in their communities.

LOCATION: Andrews University Griggs Hall

COST: $100 per person

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Pastors, church administrators, and members

www.communityservices.org/nlcp-2018(443) 391-7253

The Urban Mission and Ministry Congress (UMMC) is an interdisciplinary congress providing inspiration, leadership development, training, consultation, and research for urban ministry leaders.

The mission of the UMMC is to transform, empower, and equip individuals to provide OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP FOR THE GOSPEL IN URBAN MINISTRY.

LOCATION: Andrews University

COST: $79.00† | $35 for students

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Pastors, organizational leaders, local ministry leaders, faculty in higher education, and students

www.urbanmissionandministry.org

SEPTEMBER 4-7, 2018 SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2018

*ONLINE PREREQUISITE REQUIRED | †EARLY BIRD RATE ENDS JUNE 28, 2018

Register for both events today at www.adventsource.org!

Learn to Serve More Effectively

ADVENTIST 1303 / 18

Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program

Urban Mission and Ministry Congress

The Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program* (NLCP) is an intensive program that equips attendees with STRATEGIES AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS TO SUCCESSFULLY LEAD.

Attendees will learn how to be engaged with critical service learning to create a sustainable impact in their communities.

LOCATION: Andrews University Griggs Hall

COST: $100 per person

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Pastors, church administrators, and members

www.communityservices.org/nlcp-2018(443) 391-7253

The Urban Mission and Ministry Congress (UMMC) is an interdisciplinary congress providing inspiration, leadership development, training, consultation, and research for urban ministry leaders.

The mission of the UMMC is to transform, empower, and equip individuals to provide OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP FOR THE GOSPEL IN URBAN MINISTRY.

LOCATION: Andrews University

COST: $79.00† | $35 for students

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Pastors, organizational leaders, local ministry leaders, faculty in higher education, and students

www.urbanmissionandministry.org

SEPTEMBER 4-7, 2018 SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2018

*ONLINE PREREQUISITE REQUIRED | †EARLY BIRD RATE ENDS JUNE 28, 2018

Register for both events today at www.adventsource.org!

Learn to Serve More Effectively


We are nothing without God’s grace. But in Him we may stand as strong as an Ebenezer stone.

Music streamed from the hotel meeting room as instruments and voices fused the chords of an aching-ly beautiful and poignant message. Even before I gen-tly pulled on the door handle, the melody and harmo-

ny flowed straight into me. I quickly found a place to stand with the gathered worshippers as they continued with the song’s first verse: “Teach me ever to adore Thee, may I still Thy goodness prove, while the hope of endless glory fills my heart with joy and love.”

Moisture found its way into my eyes as I glanced around the room at the pastors and chaplains gathered for the conference and retreat. I realized at that moment that the words of this hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” was salve for weary souls, and encouragement for hope-filled hearts. Raising my meager voice with the throng of women, I remembered another experi-ence in which those around me drew comfort from this message.

The Los Angeles Convention Center became a home away from home for several days during the Your Best Pathway to Health mega clinic in April 2016. I was not one of the more than 4,000 volunteers assisting the 10,000 patients who received free medical and dental care at the three-day event. Part of the media crew, I gathered stories and helped conduct interviews for video and print use.

During the dizzyingly busy height of service in the dental treat-ment area, two of us were setting up a photo opportunity when al-most a dozen Adventist teens and young adults sauntered in from the vision area. Conversations dropped off as the group neared. With an acoustic guitarist volunteer in tow, the band sang, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love,” as both patients and medical volunteers paused and pondered for the few moments their proximity that allowed the musical message to be heard. Faces softened and flagging energy renewed.

The parable Jesus told about the lost sheep (Matt. 18:10-14) is apt: we are prone to wander, even though we know that the fountain of life is with Him; and in His light we are able to see (Ps. 36:9). Even though we may have accepted God’s gift of salvation, even though we labor for Him, even as we share His Word and

care for His children, we are prone to lose sight of God. We can lose our joy and love. We can drift out of tune.

But God and His streams of mercy can renew us. He can—and He does—renew church leaders. He can—and He does—lighten the loads of those committed in service. He can—and He does—bestow His surpassing grace (2 Cor. 9:14) so freely on all of us. We are nothing without God’s grace. But in Him we may stand as strong as an Ebenezer stone (1 Sam. 7:12).

Our heavenly Father has given us the Bible. He’s given us nature. And He’s also gifted us with music. I am grateful for these gifts—a way to grasp our souls, our minds, our hearts—to seal us for His heavenly courts.

Our responsibility? Ask, as the hymn goes: tune our hearts, bind us close, teach us. Say, “Here’s my heart—O, take and seal it . . . for Thy courts above.”

Kimberly Luste Maran is editor of Adventist Journey.

Fount of Every Blessing

BY KIMBERLY LUSTE MARAN

P E R S P E C T I V E

ADVENTIST 1503 / 18

Real-world Work Experiences

College-preparatory Curriculum

Biblically Christ-centered Music Ministry

Time-Tested

185 Fletcher Academy Drive • Fletcher, North Carolina 28732 828-209-6800 • www.fletcheracademy.com

Fletcher Academy Where Christian Education and Work Combine to Build Character

• Students can spend the night here – experience dorm life• No qualified student turned away because of finances• 3 student mission trips each year

• AdvancED Accredited• ACT scores above the national average• $50,000 in scholarships to be awarded on Sunday

ACADEMY DAYS: April 8–9 • Register on-line at fletcheracademy.com

Founded in 1910

NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION OF

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

9705 PATUXENT WOODS DRIVE

COLUMBIA, MD 21046

NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Bolingbrook, IL

Permit No. 2351

Short. Shareable. On Demand. Unexpected.

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